Personal :: Relational

Sometimes, I get caught up in thinking of God in the Sunday school way. He is some great God who performed miracles and, because He realized we needed some rescuing, sent Jesus.

Yeah, I pray. Yeah, I believe He hears and answers.

But there is a distance. He is up there. I am down here.

. . .

Do you ever feel that void?

Sometimes, I struggle to feel God's love and care because He isn't here physically.

Gary Chapman's famous Love Languages seem to miss something. God doesn't spend quality time playing games and chatting with me. He doesn't call me with words of affirmation when I feel down. He doesn't physically touch me and give me a hug when I feel the world breaking apart. He doesn't go wash my dishes for me in an act of service. He doesn't bring me a present "just because".

Or does He?

The four gospels often repeat the same stories from different perspectives, and sometimes the authors throw in a story that is not in the other books. Recently, I was struck with the realization that the authors wrote from a personal relationship with Jesus. They walked with Him. He did spend time teaching them. He encouraged them with actual, spoken words. He physically washed their feet. He provided them with food and calm the storms for them. He surprised Peter with money to pay their taxes.

So, when they wrote about His works, they remembered actual events. They wrote out of personal experience. They realized that Jesus did care about every little detail of their lives. They had a relationship with Him.

Three of the gospel writers chose to tell the story of Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14-15; Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:38-39). As I read these accounts, I realized this was not some stranger to the disciples. This was someone they knew and cared about.

And, Jesus cared too.

All too often, I find myself seeing Jesus' works for the beggars in the street, or even for the hypocrites in the churches. But, aren't they for me? Aren't they for you?

He desires so much to be in relationship with us! He came and lived this human life - and we all know that is not easy! Because He wanted to be in relationship with you and me!

Wow.

Maybe, it is me who isn't putting the effort into the relationship...

When do I spend quality time with God? Just reading and listening to His words of affirmation? When am I conduit of those words to others? When do I become His hands and feet and reach out to His body of believers, or the lost? When do I go and do some simple service for another person, or allow them to do something for me? When do I open my eyes and see how He daily graces me with glimpses of His glory, "just because"?

When do you? He is waiting.